The nature and the extent of technological change are analysed from a comparative Spanish and European view, establishing the interrelationships between its components and its final effects. The relationship between technological change and the industrial organisation is studied from the permeability of the factory system to small and medium size firms. This fact made possible the development of a flexible industrial structure which was shaped in the making of a capable woollen textile district in die Vallès, and finally strengthened the competitive advantages of those firms in relation to the pioneer big firms. Last, induced changes on the labour force structure are considered.

The aim of this work is to explain the increase of die Castillian supply of flour as a result of the changes in die commercial policy between 1820–1841. Since 1820 the gouvernments of Fernando VII approved new protective tariffs widi die purpose of excluding die consumption of foreing flour in die domestic and die Cuban markets. As a consequence, die number of flour milling factories working in Castille grew up. We have to distinguish between two kinds of mills set up close tho the Canal de Castilla: those with can be consdidered «factories» and those others whose work is near to the putting-out-system. Both plants were owned by a cartel formed by flour dealers from Santander who obtained considerable profits thanks to their privileged position in the market.

This paper analizes the performance of interest groups in the Spanish alcohol market between 1887 and 1936. The research addresses the question of the impact of these agroindustrial interest groups in the making of —protective— economic policies during the Restauration. In order to answer this question, we have reconstructed their interaction with political and administrative agencies, on the basis of both the published documents of the groups and associations, and the records of the parliamentary committees. The main conclusions are: 1. Pressure groups remained very autonomous with regards to the extremely heterogeneous interests of the sector, 2. The Parliament proved unable to establish priorities among die conflicting interests; and 3. The lawmaking process ignored the main proposals and did not produce an alcohol policy.

In 1856 the Banco EspañOl de La Habana started to operate. According to its Charter it was the only banking institution with privilege to issue. Its relations with the government were thus very close from the beginning. This article studies the evolution of the bank between 1856 and 1880. Special attention is paid to its financial support to the government, particularly during the Cuban insurrection of 1868. We also point out the assistance of the Spanish government to this institution in periods of maximum strain (crisis of 1857 and 1866) and the key role of the bank as a piece in the political and administrative machinery of the colony.

Fleeming Jenkin (1833–1885) was the first person in Britain to draw supply and demand curves, discussing them as mathematical functions and employing them to study economic problems. A celebrated engineer, he made remarkable contributions to economics, that attracted little attention in his time. This article goes through Jenkin's thought, emphasizing his analysis of the three laws of supply and demand, and its application to the labour market and die taxes, mat produced the independent discovery of die notion of consumer and producer surplus. The article holds that a reason why Jenkin lacked die acknowledgement he deserved lay in the hostile attitude towards him by Jevons and Marshall, who undervalued his contributions and insisted that they had anticipated Jenkin. The article concludes that this claim is unfounded.

Esta nota pretende llevar el debate abierto en torno al tema de qué historia empresarial podemos y queremos hacer, más allá del marco en el que se viene desarrollando hasta el présente. En este sentido, propugna como idea central que las agendas de investigatión y la docencia de historia empresarial incorporen las reflexiones y resultados obtenidos por los historiadores del tra-bajo en los últimos años.